Auto-rotative combustion heater



Feb. 28, 1956 L 2,736,369

AUTO-ROTATIVE COMBUSTION HEATER Filed June 22, 1953 INVENTOR. Maw/54. b.444

IITOEWEPS United States Patent 2,736,369 AUTO-ROTATIV E COMBUSTIONHEATER James A. Hall, Santa Clara, Calif. Application June 22, 1953,Serial No. 363,301

2 Claims. (Cl. 158-4) The present invention relates to heatingapparatus, and pertains more particularly to a heater for burning liquidfuel which uses a portion of the energy generated by the combustion ofthe fuel for turning a rotor which operates the device.

Much of the mechanized equipment which is stored and used out of doorsin the colder parts of the world, such as the Arctic and subarcticzones, requires preheating before it can be placed in operation.Varioustypes of heating equipment for this and other purposes have beendevised for heating such mechanism preparatory to starting it. Inaddition to the heating equipment itself, however, it usually isnecessary to have available electric current and an electricallyenergized blower or a blower driven by an auxiliary gasoline engine inorder to induce a flow of heated air or other fluid to desired areas ofthe mechanism.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an oil burningheater which will use a portion of the energy of combustion of the fuelto drive a rotor which in turn is used to drive the fuel feed mechanismand to distribute the heated exhaust gases.

The invention also provides a simple heating unit having a single rotaryelement which is propelled by the substantially tangential exit of thegases of combustion from the combustion chamber and which is providedwith means for drawing in air of combustion at the opposite end of thecombustion chamber from the outlet.

It also is an object of the invention to provide an oil burning heaterwhich will burn fuel oil efficiently and which will employ a portion ofthe energy generated by the combustion of the fuel to drive the rotorand also the accessory mechanism for operating the burner.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal, sectional, somewhat diagrammatic view of aheater embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a lefthand end elevational view of the mechanism shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is a righthand end elevational view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1.

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, a heater Aconsists generally of a cylindrical housing B and a rotor C. The housingB is supported on standards and 11, mounted on a supporting basestructure 12. An end closure plate 13 is mounted in sealing relationtransversely across the lefthand end of the housing B as shown in Fig. 1and is secured in p04 sition thereon by cap screws 14. A ball bearing 15is mounted in a seat provided therefor centrally of the end plate 13 anda rotor shaft 18 is journaled in this bearing and in a second bearing 19mounted coaxially therewith on a platform 20 provided on the base 12.The rotor shaft 18 is screwed into a threaded axial opening in the rotorC. A gear train 21 provides driving 2,736,369 Patented Feb. 1956 iceflexible couplings 24, 25 and 26 with a fuel pump 28 a magneto 29 and agovernor 30. These units are housed in an enclosure 31 mounted by ahinge 32 on the base platform 20.

A sealing ring 33 of a conventional type is mounted axially inwardly ofthe bearing 15, and a second sealing gasket 34 is provided around therotor shaft 18 and is interposed between the housing end closure plate13 and the lefthand end of the rotor C.

The rotor C comprises a spirally ported discharge head portion 37 ofgenerally truncated conical shape with a cylindrical portion 38. Theportion 38 has a freely rotatable fit within the lefthand end of therotor housing B as shown in Fig. l.

A plurality of symmetrically arranged spiral exhaust passages 39 areprovided in the rotor portion 37. The intake ends 40 of these passagesare at the righthand end of the rotor portion 37 and are directedsubstantially axially thereof as shown in Fig. 1, while their dischargeends are arranged peripherally of the cylindrical portion 38 and aredirected substantially tangentially thereof as shown in Fig. 2.

An exhaust collector ring 41 is provided circumferentially around anannular slotted exhaust discharge passage 42 in the housing B to receivethe exhaust gases discharged from the spiral exhaust passages 39 and toconduct these gases circumferentially around the collector ring 41 toexhaust outlets 43 and 44.

Connected coaxially to the righthand end of the rotor portion 37 asshown in Fig. 1 is a cylindrical combustion chamber 47 having aplurality of air intake openings 48 arranged in two circumferential rowsaround the righthand end portion thereof. An outwardly flaring skirt 49of generally truncated conical configuration is provided coaxially ofthe cylindrical combustion chamber to enclose the perforated righthandportion thereof. The righthand terminal edge 50 of this enclosing skirtportion as shown in Fig. l is positioned to rotate closely adjacent adomed impeller and air intake housing 51 which is secured by cap screws52, to the righthandend of the rotor housing B.

An impeller 53 comprises a head portion 54 secured as by welding to therighthand end of the cylindrical combustion chamber 47. A hollow rotorsupport shaft 55 is formed integrally with the head portion 54 and isco-axial with the lefthand rotor shaft 18 and with the combustionchamber 47. A pluralityof impeller vanes 57 are secured peripherallyabout the head portion 54 and to a ring 58 spaced to the right from thehead portion 54 and co-axial therewith.

The domed impeller and air intake housing 51 has a cylindrical airintake chamber 59 formed integrally and co-axially therewith, as shownin Fig. l. A plurality of longitudinally extending slotted air intakeopenings 60 are provided peripherally of the air intake chamber 59. Aball bearing 61 is mounted in a seat provided therefor in the righthandend of the air intake chamber 59 and this bearing is co-axial with theother rotor support bear-' ings mentioned previously herein. An annularouter flange 62a of a spider 62 extends radially inwardly from the outeror righthand end of the domed impeller housing portion 51a. The hub 63of the spider 62 provides an additional bearing for the tubular rotorshaft 55. A dust cap 64 is mounted to shield the ball bearing 61. Atrain of gears 67 is mounted in a housing 68 enclosing a portion of theouter or righthand end of the air intake chamber 59. This gear train 67provides driving connection between the tubular rotor shaft 55 and theshaft 69 of an electric motor 70 for pre-rotation for the heater greasesrotor B prior to the attainment of an auto-rotative con dition thereof.a

A fuel inlet pipe 71 is mounted non-rotatively axially within thetubular rotor shaft 55 and isprovided on its inner or lefthandentrancetothe shaft 55twith a rotary gas tight seal 72. ,A nozzle 73 is mountedon the pipe 71 within the combustion chamber 47 to discharge a Zpray ofliquid fuel interiorly of the combustion cham- An ignition electrode 74is mounted on the fuel inlet pipe 71 withits sparking points 75 locatedwithin the zone of fuel discharge of the nozzle 73. Insulated conductors(not shown) for, conducting high tension current to the electrode .74are mounted in a conventional manner in a casing 77."alongside the fuelinlet pipe 71 and within the bore of the hollow rotor shaft 55. Theseconductors to therelectrode 74 may be encased in a conventionalinsulating casing 77 (Fig. 1) and connected to thehigh tensionmagnetoi30 to provide the necessary interrupted high voltage current toproduce a spark across the, ignition-points 75. I

Uponrotation of the rotor C by the electric motor 76 to initiatecombustion in the chamber 47, the impeller 53 draws air through theintake slots 6% and discharges this air centrifugally into the domedimpeller casing portion 51a. Thence the air is directed by the curvedwall of the impeller casing portion 51a into the converging chamber '73between the perforated righthand portion of the combustion chamber 47 asshown'in Fig. l and the truncated conical skirt 49. The convergence ofthe walls of the chamber 78 causes the air from the impeller to flowradially inwardly through the holes 48 into the combustion chamber 47.When the rotor attains sufiicient rotative speed to provide a suitableflow of air through the combustion chamber and outwardly through theexhaust outlets 43 and 44, fuel under pressure from the pump 28 isadmitted by opening the fuel valve 79 to the nozzle 73. As the fuel issprayed from the nozzle 73 it is ignited by the spark across the points75 of the ignition electrode 74 produced by the rotation of the magneto30. The gases of'combustion pass from the combustion chamber outwardlythrough the spiral passages 39 wherein the rotation of the rotor duringprerotation tends to create a negative pressure by conventional impelleraction. Since combustion of the fuel-air mixture greatly increases itsvolume, the discharge of this increased amount of gas from thesubstantially tangentially disposed outer ends of the spiral passages 39tends to drive the rotor C in accordance with well known principles ofaction and reaction. It will be noted in Figs. 1 and 2 that the passages39 taper toward their discharge ends which is for the purpose ofincreasing the velocity of the gases as they approach the discharge andof the passages in accordance with well known gaseous flow principles.

The high velocity tangential discharge of the gases of combustion fromthe outer ends of the passages 39 producesa torque on the rotor C whichcauses it to continue its rotation. By controlling the amount of fueland air admitted to the combustion chamber 47, the volume of hot exhaustgases discharged through the passages 39 may be controlled within closelimits. For this purpose the-governor 29 may be adjusted in a well knownmanner to control the fuel flow from the pump 28 as required.

From the exhaust discharge outlets 43 and 44, the hot exhaust gases maybe conveyed by suitable hoses or ducts (notshown) to a zone ofapplication such as a chilled airplane,. tank or automobile engine.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment ofthe'present invention, it will. be understood however, that variouschanges and modifications may be made in .the detailsthereof withoutdepartingrfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim: p

l. A self propelled continuous flame 7 internal combustion heatercomprisin'ga housing, a rotor mounted for rotation within said housing,one end of said rotor having a relatively small combustion chambertherein, a discharge h'eeltl of larger diameter than said combustionchamber mounted on the other end of said rotor, a plurality of exhaustpassages insaid discharge head opening at one end thereof into thecombustion chamber adjacent the axis thereof and opening at the otherend thereof to discharge peripherally about the rotor head, thedischarge ends of said passages being directed at an acute angle inapredetermine'd rotative direction, said housing having an annulardischarge passage formed therein surrounding the discharge ends of saidexhaust passages, an impeller mounted co-axially on the rotor at theopposite end thereof from said discharge passages, a tapered skirt oftruncated conical shape mounted co-axially on the combustion chamber endof the rotor to surround the combustion chamber and provide a forwardlytapering air inlet passage, the combustion chamber walls interiorly ofsaid skirt having a plurality of air inlet holes therein, said housinghaving an air intake portion surrounding said impeller and formed todirect air discharged by the impeller into and through the tapered airinlet passage and through the air inlet holes into the combustionchamber, a fuel nozzle mounted to discharge a spray of fuel into theincoming air within said combustion chamber, spark means mounted in thezone of fuel discharge from said nozzle, and means for energizing saidspark means to ignite the fuel-air mixture within the combustionchamber.

2. A self propelled, continuous flame internal combustion heatercomprising a housing, a rotor mounted for rotation within said housing,said rotor having a combustion chamber formed in one end thereof, adischarge head mounted on the other end of said rotor, said head havinga plurality of exhaust passages formed therein to open from thecombustionchamber and an opening at the other end thereof to dischargeperipherally about the rotor head, the Walls of the discharge ends ofsaid passages being directed at an acute angle in a predeter minedrotative direction, an impeller mounted co-axially on the rotor at theopposite end thereof from said discharge passages, a skirt mountedco-axially on the combustion chamber end of the rotor to surround thecombustion chamber to provide an air inlet passage, the combustionchamber walls interiorly of said jacket'having a plurality of air inletholes therein, an air intake housing surrounding said impeller andformed to direct air discharged by the impeller into and through the airinlet passage and through the air inlet holes into the combustionchamber, a fuel nozzle mounted to discharge a spray of fuel into theincoming air within said cornbustion chamber, and ignition means mountedin the zone of fuel discharge from said nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS

